A Titan Checks Out

A contemporary legend, Biki Oberoi crafted Indian hospitality's stunning response to the world 

- Aman Nath

As tributes come flying in from all over the cyber skies, there is a momentary darkness over India. But I am sure that P.R.S. 'Biki' Oberoi would have liked it otherwise. When the tomorrow to this sorrow comes, there will be even more light.

When his father Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi had fled a virulent plague in Lahore to arrive in Simla, the summer capital of British India, he did not know that he was propelling his destiny to the skies. Starting from a monthly salary of Rs 50 as the front desk clerk at the Cecil Hotel, his success in business where he turned each challenge into an opportunity-saw this common Punjabi surname metamorphose into a chic, aspirational brand flaunted in the highest echelons of society, one that is a byword for entrepreneurship. He also made ordinary Indians connoisseurs. Today, as the second-generation stalwart of the Oberoi Hotels passes away, its annual revenues touch Rs 2,096 crore (in FY23).